Stay
by CarlaPeterLove
Summary: A horrific accident brings Carla and Peter back together again... but for how long?
1. Pray

It was an average Tuesday night when Carla found out that Peter had been in a fatal car crash.

Peter's son Simon had sought out to find Carla and tell her the news because he knew that she would have wanted to know. He knew that whilst she wasn't with his Dad anymore, she needed to now. He didn't even know if they were even talking but he knew it wouldn't matter because once she found out, nothing else would ever matter again.

She was sat with her feet up, catching up on The Apprentice when the sound of her buzzer bounced between the walls of her empty flat. She got up to answer it, assuming it was a friend or something but she was totally shocked when she heard who it actually was,

"Carla it's Simon… I ave to talk to you, let me in… it's me Dad."

Carla could tell by Simon's voice that something was immediately wrong so of course she let her Step Son come right up.

He ran up the stairs, two steps at a time until he had gotten to Carla's door. She opened it to find an out of breath Simon stood on her doorstep and he looked utterly distraught.

She knew there and then that what Simon was about to say was to do with his Dad.

A tearful Simon told Carla that a hospital down in Portsmouth had just phoned his Granddad and told him that Peter had been in a horrific car crash on a motorway somewhere down south.

Carla had to take a moment... she stepped back and felt physically sick, as an anxious Simon continued to speak. He told Carla everything she needed to know about the accident.

It wasn't Peter's fault and by some sort of miracle no one else was actually hurt but he was in a very _very_ critical condition and Ken was told that him and his family should probably prepare themselves for the worst.

"The worst?" Carla exclaimed.

"The worst." Simon replied shaking.

Despite being apart from Peter for so long and despite the fact she thought she was over him, Carla rapidly got herself dressed and said that she was going to Portsmouth.

She told herself it that she was going to give moral support to Simon and Ken but deep down, Carla knew she was going with them because if she didn't and something happened to Peter… well she would never forgive herself.

There was still so much that she had to say to him, still so much that she felt Peter needed to know and the fact that he might never hear any of it, made Carla suddenly start to panic.

She panic'd so much that Simon had begun to get scared. He watched her short and sharp breaths and thought she was having some sort of panic attack and no matter how much he tired, he just couldn't seem to calm her down.

"Try breathing into a bag or something..." he suggested but only because that was something that he had seen in the movies. "Carla... please." He begged, unsure of what to do next.

In the end he picked up the phone and called his Granddad. He told him where he was and what Carla was doing and it wasn't long before Ken had arrived at Victoria Court.

Simon let him in and opened the front door to Carla's flat so that his Granddad could come straight in.

Ken bent down so he was at Carla's level as she sat on the sofa and even though he was a wreck after hearing about Peter he somehow managed to remain calm in the face of Carla's dismay.

He told her to count to five with him and even though it took a few attempts, she did.

He then told her to take in three deep breaths, so she did.

He then told her that she could come to Portsmouth with him, Simon and Tracy if she wanted. He told her that everything was probably going to be okay and that if they hurried they could see Peter in no time.

Ken's calming nature seemed to work on Carla and before she knew it they were walking out of her building and towards Number One Coronation Street, where Peter's sister, Tracy was parked and ready to go. She was in tears as Ken approached with Carla and Simon in tow and even though she was very surprised to see a distressed Carla clutching onto Simon, she didn't question it.

As Carla got into the back of Ken's car, she knew there was something she had to do. She had to let her boyfriend know where she was going.

She had to tell him that she was on her way to Portsmouth and that she truly didn't know how long she would be gone for.

Not that it mattered of course, she would be gone for as long as it took.

Tracy said that she would drive and as she started up the car to begin on the five hour journey to Portsmouth, Carla decided that now was the time to phone Nick and tell him what was going on.

He didn't answer his phone due to being on a shift at The Bistro so Carla had to leave him a message instead...

 _"Hi Nick... look there's been an... accident, I'm on the way to Portsmouth with Simon, Ken and Tracy... I hope you can understand why I'm doing this... I just ave to go... I ave to be there... I ave to see if he is okay... I'll... give you a call... in the morning maybe... Bye."_

She wondered what Nick would make of her message and what he would make of her sudden rush to be by Peter's side, although she wasn't sure what she even made of any of this.

The journey to Portsmouth was as smooth as it could be given the fact that all the people in the car were all completely and utterly consumed by thoughts that they wouldn't make it on time.

Carla couldn't bare the idea of not seeing Peter again and not being able to speak to him.

Whilst being with Nick she had pushed him right to the very back of her mind but she had always thought that one day she would get the chance to see him again and maybe even get to be with him again.

She thought about how everything had gone wrong in their relationship and how easily she had given up on Peter.

She thought about how much things might have been different if she had of given him another chance like she had so secretly wanted to after he had gotten out of prison.

She only let him walk away from her because she didn't want folk to know how truly weak she was.

It still broke a part of her heart when she thought about how their relationship ended.

Their story wasn't over... it was interrupted.

As time went on, Carla was petrified that she wouldn't get to tell Peter how she felt about things and even though she knew that Tracy was already over the speed limit, Carla begged her to hurry up.

Simon watched as his Stepmother and Auntie began arguing over the driving, Tracy kept turning to almost look at Carla out of frustration and it was Ken who reminded them that Peter had just been in a car accident and that they really didn't need to cause another one.

Tracy nodded at her Dad, knowing he was right and that she needed to keep her eyes on the road and Carla apologised to her and said she was just desperate to see Peter before it was too late.

It was as if this sudden accident made her realise that she was not over Peter Barlow at all... nowhere near in fact.

It was about two in the morning when they arrived in Portsmouth. Tracy parked the car and they all rushed to the ward where they had been told Peter had been taken.

The nurse who was sat on the reception said she didn't know who they were asking about, which scared the life out of all of them.

She said that she would be back in a second and left Ken, Tracy, Simon and Carla on tenter hooks as she walked off.

It was probably the longest second of their lives.

They were all sure that she'd come back and say that they were too late.

It was a tense... an unbearable moment for The Barlow's and Carla as the nurse approached them again.

Not one of them knew what they would do if the news that she was bearing was bad.

Carla was shaking and was actually holding tightly onto Tracy's hand as the nurse began to speak.

She said she found Peter and that she had just started her shift, another nurse then took over and said he had been in a very stable condition for many hours now and that he was in the last room down the very back of the ward.

He was lying very still in a hospital bed. He had tubes running in and out of his body and he was also left with a very large and very deep cut on his forehead, which was rather horrific when you saw it up close. He looked as if he was in excruciating pain as his family and estranged wife all piled into the room.

They were all speechless as they stared ahead at Peter and as they processed the sight before them.

Upon properly looking at the people who had just entered his hospital room, Peter had to do a double take.

He almost thought that he was dreaming it... that he was maybe imagining who was so suddenly stood right in front of his almost death bed.

He knew his Dad would have come, Simon too if Leanne had of let him, which of course she had. Tracy's appearance was a slight shock but Carla's… well her being stood there was the biggest surprise of all.

The last he had heard she was in a whirlwind romance with Nick Tilsley of all people and she was extremely happy... so what on earth was she doing all the way in Portsmouth at this time of night?

He tried to clear his throat and speak but Carla walked over to his bed, shaking her head and letting the tears she had been holding back for hours finally fall as she said,

"Shhhhhhh." She gently took hold of one of his bruised hands as Simon went around the other side of his bed and gently put his arms around him, carefully, not too forcefully, so that he made sure he didn't hurt him anymore than he was already.

"I'm so glad that you're okay." Simon cried, tears also pouring down his cheeks at the sight of his heavily injured father.

Peter went to talk again but his Dad shook his head this time.

"Don't talk Peter... you look like you're in a lot of pain." he said, with a hefty sigh. Tracy just kept quiet and stared at her big brother in awe.

They all listened properly as the nurse started to explain the seriousness of Peter's injuries.

He was suffering from severe whiplash and concussion. He also had some internal bleeding which at first they had found hard to manage.

The nurse explained how much it was touch and go for a while, which is why they had prepared the family for the worst but seeing as Peter had been stable since about eleven pm and that they had managed to control the bleeding, it seemed like he would make a slow but sure recovery.

The nurse said a doctor would be along to discuss things with everyone properly in the morning but that Ken, Tracy, Simon and Carla were welcome to stay given the circumstances and because it was so late.

Ken took a deep sigh of relief and watched as Simon gave his Dad another hug. Tracy then went over and kissed Peter delicately on the cheek, she also gave him a loving look as she stood upright and was genuinely pleased to see that her brother looked as if he would be alright in the end.

Peter cleared his throat once more and quickly spoke before he could be stopped this time.

"Alright?" he asked as casually as he could. Trying to make a joke out of things even at the worst of times and even though the amount of pain that he was feeling was very clear in his voice.

"Alright he says…" Tracy sighed, shaking her head and rolling her eyes at how laid back her brother was being even when he had tubes coming out of his nose and had a huge wound on his forehead.

Ken smiled at Peter's relaxed manner and so did Simon but Carla… well she was unable to crack even half a smile because she was too overcome with her emotions.

This morning she had woken up in the arms of someone else and now she was questioning everything about the decisions she had been making over the past year.

As Ken sat down on the chair next to Peter's bed and Tracy and Simon stood near by, Carla sat down gingerly on the end of the bed and then the conversation began...

There was first a conversation about just how Peter had ended up in the crash, it took him a while to properly explain it but he got there in the end, although it was clear for all to see that he had struggled to get those short few sentences out.

Then the conversation that followed was about how glad they were that he was fine and that Ken would ring around everyone in the morning to let them know what was going on.

After an hour or so and after they had all made themselves as comfortable as they could have, Tracy looked at Carla who was sat looking down at her fingernails and then at Simon who had also been watching Carla... they knew what they had to do.

"Should we go n look for a Coffee machine or something?" Tracy asked,

"Yes." Ken nodded and they took Simon with them so that they could give Carla and Peter some time alone.

Carla bit her lip as she sat perched on the end of Peter's hospital bed. He looked incredibly, incredibly weak as he lay there before her and every time she looked at him she couldn't help but want to cry, which is why she kept gazing down at her hands instead.

"So..." Peter coughed, sounding as if he was in agony as he spoke.

"Don't..." Carla sniffed, getting up and moving closer to Peter. She was unable to control her self and tried not to cry pathetically as she now stood right next to Peter.

"Hey..." he said, sounding a little better this time although he coughed again, "You heard the nurse... I'm... I'm gonna be okay." He said in between breaths.

"I know... but you didn't half scare us." Carla said, taking a hand and tenderly stroking his cheek.

"Sorry." Peter swallowed, then he winced from the pain, the uncomfortable expression on his face made Carla wince too.

"Oh would ya just stop talking." She said, a tear running down her cheek as she watched the once love of her life, be in so much discomfort. She wished that she could make him feel better, she wished that more than anything in the world right now that she could make things right again.

"You... stop... crying." Peter said weakly but somehow firmly at the same time.

"I can't..." Carla sobbed, her green eyes now spilling with tears. "I really thought... I thought we'd lost you... I was scared... the whole time ere... I couldn't stop thinking about how much time we ave wasted." Peter listened carefully as she spoke and even though he was in the most pain he had ever been in his life, the presence of his family and Carla was starting to make him feel just that little bit better. "I am so sorry Peter..." She said with a sniff, "But I'm ere... I'm ere and I am never letting you go again."

"What... about Ni..." Peter began but he couldn't finish what he was saying because it literally hurt so much for him to speak. His chest felt tight and he had took take in a deep intake of breath just so he could breathe properly again.

He didn't have to finish what he was saying anyway, Carla knew what he was getting at, she knew he was asking about Nick.

"Shhhh..." She said, "Don't worry about any of that... just know that a day doesn't go by when I don't think about us... when I don't wonder if I should ave given you another chance... I've missed you every single day Peter."

"I... I've missed you too n... I... love you." Peter breathed, just in case he didn't get another chance to say it to Carla, just in case.

"I thought I told you to stop talking..." She sniffed with a shake of the head because she knew what he was doing, he was getting ready to say his goodbyes and she wasn't going to have any of it. Peter chuckled as best he could at Carla and opened his bruised fingers so that she could entwine hers with his. "I love you n all... just so you know."

"You... sure?" Peter asked faintly, "You're not... just saying it because... I'm in ere?" Carla gave him a sympathetic nod and bit her lip as he had to breathe in again.

"That's exactly why I'm saying it..." She began, "Peter I've been such a fool... seeing you like this has made me realise how much I've been fooling myself... I love you and I am never going to let you out of my sight again." She then leant forward and placed the softest kiss on Peter's cheek.

He was sure that she was just letting her emotions get the better of her, he was sure that tomorrow she'd probably regret all of this and change her mind but he was really in no place to argue with Carla right now, he had to work hard to recover from this car crash and there was no way he was going to be strong enough to do both.

It wasn't long before Tracy, Ken and Simon returned from the vending machines.

They had brought Carla a large cup off strong coffee, just like her they vowed that they were going to stay by Peter's side and one by one they prayed that he would take a safe road to recovery…


	2. Seven Days Later

_Seven days later…_

A lot can happen in seven days.

For some it went by like a flash and for others… well seven days seemed like eternity.

For Carla seven days seemed to have gone by like a whirlwind... in fact her days almost seemed to blur into one.

It was better that way... well at least Carla thought so.

She didn't want to divide the days up, she didn't want to think about them like that, those first few days were the hardest, the ones at the hospital that is.

Those moments where she sat with Ken, Simon and Tracy and when they _"almost lost"_ Peter... where his oxygen levels had got dangerously low and where they honestly thought it was all over.

Thinking about all of that, made Carla's chest feel tight and she'd start to breathe rigidly again, just like she did when Simon had told her about the accident.

Carla couldn't explain what was happening to her but whenever she thought about that very moment when she heard about Peter's crash she started going into panic mode which is why she only let her self think about the here and now...

"Are ya sure I can't get you something?" she asked Peter, who she had forced into her bed the moment they had arrived back from Portsmouth and had not let out of it since.

She would only let him get up to use the toilet and was practically waiting on him hand a foot... not that he was complaining of course.

"No... honestly... I'm fine." Peter insisted, he watched Carla as she sat next to him on her bed with her legs crossed. "I really don't deserve any of this..." he began but Carla shook her head and put her hands over her ears.

"No no no... we are not going through this again."

Peter and her had already had words about this sort of thing. He really felt like he didn't deserve her help and support and that after everything he had done to her, she shouldn't even have come to the hospital and given him the time of day.

He was sure that once the initial aftermath of his accident had gone, that Carla would change her mind. He was sure that she'd realise that she still loved Nick and that she'd regret everything that she said but she didn't.

She stayed by his side through it all and had insisted on taking him back to hers because there wasn't really room for him at Ken's.

"Carla..." Peter said but she placed a finger on his lips to shut him up.

"No Peter... I said I don't want to hear it... I love you and when you love someone what d'ya do? You look after em... you care for em unconditionally...so shut up about it okay?"

"Okay..." Peter grinned, he could tell by the look on Carla's face that she meant business and he knew when he was beaten.

"So... are you sure I can't get you something?" Carla asked again, staring at Peter and making sure that he looked alright, the cut on his forehead had begun to heal very well but the injuries he had on the inside would obviously take a lot longer to heal.

"Well..." Peter smirked suggestively, "There is something you can give me."

"Oi Cheeky!" Carla cried, poking him gently in the stomach.

"Ow!" Peter cried over dramatically.

"You know what the doctor said... no physical activities of any sort until you've fully recovered." Carla giggled, shaking her head at Peter's naughtiness.

"Well... you can't blame a guy for trying eh?" Peter sighed, coughing as he sat up in the bed.

"No... I can't." Carla smiled as her phone, which was sitting on her bedside table, began ringing.

Carla's smile was wiped off her face in an instant. She moved up the bed and went to sit properly next to Peter.

He watched her as she let it ring as him said,

"You not gonna get that?"

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"Cause... it'll be Nick... or Chelle..." Carla said quietly as her phone eventually stopped ringing.

"And that's bad because?"

"Because they don't understand... they won't ever understand Peter." Carla sniffed, getting into the covers next to him and pulling them up over her head. Peter sighed and pulled the duvet back down as Carla cowered underneath it like a child.

"Try em... they might surprise you." Peter said, wishing that Carla would listen to him because he knew that she needed Michelle in her life... and as much as he hated it, she needed Nick too.

"No... they've been judging me for days... I know they ave."

"Oh Carla I doubt that... I mean Michelle's your best friend and Nick... from what I can gather he really really loves you... give him a chance Carla, Give em both a chance to understand."

"No!" Carla cried, tears beginning to form behind her closed eyes.

"Why not?" Peter asked, stroking her cheek tenderly.

"He won't Peter... he won't understand n neither will Chelle because no one can understand... they can't understand how I felt when I found out about your accident... It was as if I suddenly realised how much time we wasted... that's time we'll never get back Peter... never. This whole thing has made me realise how precious life is and that if I want something, I need to grab it now... before it's too late, so that's what I'm doing ere... I'm grabbing you." She smiled trying to make a joke of it but Peter could see right through it.

He could how distressed Carla was becoming again, it was a sight that he had seen at the hospital and it was a sight that he never wanted to see again, so he put an arm around Carla and held her close.

"Look... I can't force you to speak to Michelle... or Nick but I really do think that you owe Nick an explanation at some point... You broke up with him over the phone Carla and that's not right." Peter said quietly, hoping she wouldn't take what he was saying the wrong way. Carla nodded at him as she rested a head on his shoulder. She knew he was right and that ending things with Nick over the phone wasn't a fair move.

She thought about how much turmoil he was probably in, especially now she was back in the same building as him, living just below...and in a bed where he used to lay, with someone else.

"Okay..." She eventually said, "If they call me again... I'll answer it... happy now?"

"Yes..." Peter smiled smugly, kissing Carla on the head and hoping that she was telling the truth...

* * *

Nick Tilsley was one of those who felt like the last seven days had been a lifetime.

Seven days without Carla by his side.

Seven days without her laughter and her kisses was almost too much for him to bare but he didn't blame her for it.

He couldn't blame her for it.

He knew what Peter meant to her… he always had done, even if he never let himself think about it too often.

The whole time that they were together he understood that Peter would always occupy a big part of Carla's life and also… her heart.

He accepted that and had made his peace with it.

He was trudging down Coronation Street, in a suit of course because that was always how he presented himself, even when in a state of total depression and it was then that he almost walked straight into Michelle Connor.

Carla's best and most trusted friend in the world.

She gave Nick a sympathetic look and said,

"Hey..."

"Hi." Nick replied, he looked exhausted and was clearing having a hard time with his girlfriend leaving him and suddenly declaring her undying love for someone else.

"So... ave you spoken to her?" Michelle asked. She hadn't seen Carla since before she went to Portsmouth and was beginning to get worried about her because from what people were saying she had been acting slightly odd.

"Yeah... she finally answered my call earlier." Nick said with an eyebrow raised.

"Well at least that makes one of us?" Michelle said with a sigh, "She won't answer my calls... I don't know why? I think she thinks I'm going to be angry with her... which is crazy of course."

"Well... she answered mine but... now I kinda wish she hadn't" Nick sniffed, his eyes were red and bloodshot due to the crying he had just done.

"What?..." Michelle exclaimed, worried now because the look on Nick's face was heartbreaking. "Nick what did she say?"

"It doesn't matter what she said... what matters is that she's still with Peter." Nick said, frowning and not being able to understand the situation even though it had been a good few days since the Barlow's and Carla had come back to Weatherfield.

Word had got around about Carla dumping him and he couldn't stand the way people were suddenly looking at him.

He had seen her since she'd been back. She was walking into their building at the time, carrying some shopping bags but Nick couldn't quite work out if Carla had actually seen him because it genuinely looked like she was in her own world.

A world that had been over taken by Peter Barlow and a world that Nick felt like he truly wouldn't be part of again.

"She's still with Peter?" Michelle repeated with a sigh, not quite sure what she was expecting Nick to have said. "Even after you speaking to her?"

"Yes… and she really didn't like what I had to say either." Nick said, remembering the way Carla screamed at him and told him to leave her flat.

"Nick... I really don't know what to do about this." Michelle begun with a shake of her head.

"What can we do Michelle? I've tried to talk her round but she won't have any of it." Nick said because his countless efforts to make Carla talk to him had failed.

"Do ya think maybe you aven't tried hard enough?" Michelle asked, much to Nick's annoyance because her tone made him feel inadequate, it made him feel totally incapable and useless which was a feeling that he hated.

"Michelle I went round there..." Nick shrugged hopelessly, "I spoke to her face to face and she was still adamant that she wants to be with Peter."

He had turned up at her flat earlier that day and even though he had keys he hadn't dared to let himself in.

He didn't think he had the right anymore seeing as she'd dumped him.

He knocked on the door instead and when Carla opened it all he wanted to do was hug her tight but of course... he knew she wouldn't let him, she wouldn't allow him to do that because she didn't realise why he so wanted to hold her close.

They spoke for a few minutes before Nick had bit the bullet and mentioned Peter.

He asked Carla how long he was going to be staying for... and that was when she went a little crazy.

She told Nick that she was sorry for the way she had ended things. She told him that she understood that he was upset but that he had no right ask about Peter.

It was then that she asked him to leave.

"I can't force her to take me back can I?" Nick said after explaining to Michelle what had happened when he had visited Carla.

"Well no... but Nick she's clearly not thinking straight… her emotions are just all over the place because of the accident and everything that's happened." Michelle explained as if Nick hadn't of worked that out himself. "If you maybe try again tomorrow…"

"I can't…" Nick sighed because it now seemed as Michelle wasn't thinking straight either.

"But..." She began,

"No buts Michelle, this is really... really hard for me... a week ago she was my girlfriend. A week ago we were booking a holiday a week ago everything was perfect and now... Now I don't recognise the woman." Nick said. "I just think that maybe she needs to be left alone for a while, but hey... if you disagree and you want to ave a go... you're her best friend, go ahead." Michelle sighed as Nick started to walk away from her.

It was such a horrible sight to see Nick so broken.

He had never ever given up on Carla before, even when she had been drinking heavily, even when she had been gambling a lot and had been pushing everyone else in her life away but this...

This was something he couldn't handle.

This was something that even he couldn't fix.


	3. Leave

Michelle Connor stood nervously outside her best friends flat. She had keys to let herself in, keys that Nick had given her that had once belong to him but she didn't want to just barge right in.

She wasn't sure how Carla would react to her bursting in unannounced.

She felt ridiculous for standing there and feeling so nervous but she just didn't know what to do.

She wasn't equipped to handle a situation like this but then again... who was?

It was about nine thirty am and she had decided to bring over a few bacon rolls for breakfast and see if she could maybe make some sort of amends.

She knew why Carla had been ignoring her calls, they'd had words the first night she had got back from Portsmouth and Michelle had been very harsh with her.

She wished she had given Carla some more time to deal with things properly but it was too late do any thing about it now.

Sometimes you just have to be cruel to be kind.

Michelle eventually forced herself to knock on Carla's door. She chewed her bottom lip and breathes heavily as her first knock when unanswered.

This didn't surprise Michelle though, she thought that Carla would ignore it... Or maybe that she'd be in bed.

"Carla it's Michelle... I've got keys... If you don't let me in I'll just let me self in."

No answer.

Michelle didn't know what to do, she had warned Carla but she still didn't want to just open the door and let herself in.

She knocked on the door again, Carla answered it after three more knocks and was stood in a white vest and matching white shorts.

Her hair was looking rather on the wild side and she looked as if she hadn't slept for days.

"Hi." Carla said awkwardly, she had been ignoring all of Michelle's calls for days now and their first interaction in days was something that she didn't really know how to handle.

"Can I come in?" Michelle asked anxiously, hating what this Peter situation had done to her and her best friend.

This was probably the longest they hadn't spoken and it killed Michelle to know that she couldn't help Carla in the slightest, although when Michelle had thought about it some more she realised that no one could... Carla had to sort this out herself.

"If you want…" Carla shrugged, moving aside so that Michelle could enter her flat properly.

As Michelle walked inside she gazed around at the state of Carla's flat. There were empty pizza boxes on the counter alongside a lot of empty glasses and plates, there was also a pile of clothes that were sat next to her washing machine and there were boxes of Peter's stuff sat in the corner.

"Wow…" Michelle gasped as Carla closed the door behind her.

"What?" Carla said defensively, knowing that her place was untidy but pretending otherwise for Michelle's sake.

"I just… Don't think I've ever seen your flat so messy before." Michelle said as Carla walked past her and went into her kitchen.

"Yeah well… I've had more important things on me mind avent I?" Carla said, putting some of the empty glasses and mugs into her sink, trying to make things look a little tidier. "Besides its not like Peter can help me is it?"

"No I suppose not…" Michelle said, gazing around the flat and then biting her lip. "Where is he?"

"Alseep." Carla said, nodding towards her bedroom, where she had left Peter snoozing.

"Oh right…" Michelle sighed, she watched as Carla calmly tidied up her kitchen slightly. "I bought you some breakfast over for ya?" She said, holding up the bag of bacon rolls that she had got from Roy's.

"Thanks." Carla said as she filled up her sink with water and as Michelle put the bacon rolls down on her work surface.

"So… I heard Nick came over yesterday." Michelle began,

"Yeah he did." Carla swallowed, not looking at Michelle as she spoke. "It were well uncomfortable."

"Yeah... I can imagine." Michelle replied, wondering if Carla would talk about Nick some mor but she didn't. She just carried on pretending to tidy up.

Michelle sighed and closed her eyes for a moment and shook her head, not knowing what to say or do. She was thankful that Carla had let her in and that she was talking to her but Michelle didn't know how long she could dance around the subject of Peter for.

His leather jacket was draped over the side of Carla's sofa and as Carla came over to it, she saw that Michelle was looking at it. Carla picked it up and clung onto it as Michelle opened her eyes and said,

"Carla… ave you been out today?"

"Yes…" Carla nodded, looking down at Peter's jacket. "I went to the café… It were horrible Chelle… I mean I only went in there for a coffee, People were all staring at me and judging me… So in the end I just walked back out."

"I don't think that they are judging you babe… I just think they are finding it hard to know what to say." Michelle said softly.

"Well I don't want em to say anything… I want em all to mind their own business." Carla sighed, shaking her head and sitting down next to Michelle.

"What about the factory? Ave you been there?" Michelle asked.

"No… Not yet… It's not like they need me, Aidan and Johnny ave it covered." Carla sighed, she yawned as Michelle stared at the dark circles that were underneath her eyes.

"Babe you look exhausted." She sighed, rubbing Carla sympathetically on the leg.

"That'll be cause I am Chelle… Looking after Peter is hard work and he barley gets any sleep because he's still in so much pain… So I like to stay up n be with him y'know." Carla said with a soft smile, thinking about the past few nights where she had stayed up chatting with Peter.

They talked about anything and everything…

Well not everything but the things that they didn't talk about were subjects that Carla definitely didn't want to talk about anyway.

Michelle worriedly watched her best friend smile like the situation that she was in was completely normal and decided that maybe it was time to try and talk some sense into her.

"Carla I know that you've had a shock… The accident and stuff but I really think that you need to sit down and rethink this… All of this."

"Rethink what?" Carla cried, shaking her head at Michelle.

"I just don't want you to get into this too deep…" Michelle began but Carla got up and threw Peter's jacket back down on the sofa.

"You know what Michelle I really really don't need to hear this, I heard it all with Nick and that were bad enough, if you can't be happy for me then leave." Carla said as Michelle stood up.

"I want to speak to Peter." Michelle said, breathing heavily and deciding that talking to Carla was still useless.

"No… No you can't, I told you he is asleep." Carla said, walking over to her bedroom door and standing in front of it as if she was guarding it with her life.

"So? Wake him up." Michelle said firmly, standing her ground.

"What? No way Michelle, the man has been in a car crash in case you ave forgotten! I told you he's been finding it hard to sleep… Leave him be." Carla cried.

"Carla… You n me both know the reason that you don't want me to see Peter… Deep down you know this can't last forever." Michelle cried back, earning a hard shove from Carla.

"That's it Chelle, Get out!" She cried, pushing Michelle again, "Go on… Leave now!"

"Carla please…" Michelle begged but she could see how distressed Carla had become and she knew that she was really going to get nowhere.

She really didn't want to leave but she knew the longer she stayed and the more she said about Peter, the angrier Carla would get.

She knew that today had been a break through, that being allowed in to Carla's flat was progress and that if she wanted to keep making progress then she needed to be on Carla's good side.

So… eventually, Michelle nodded. She began to walk away from Carla's bedroom door and towards the door of her flat instead.

"I'm gonna go because I can see how me being ere is getting to you… Just know that... When ever you're ready to talk about this properly… I'll be ere… Any time... any day… I'll come." Michelle said quietly and with that she left, she had no choice.

* * *

Hours later... Carla was sat at her dinning table tucking in to that bacon roll from Roy's that Michelle had given her.

She had a mouth full of food when Peter emerged from her bathroom in a white T-Shirt and jeans.

"Hey... What are you doing dressed?" Carla asked, getting up off her chair and walking over to him.

"Well as much as you would like me to… I can't stay naked forever." Peter grinned, walking slowly over to the table and meeting Carla's lips for a kiss.

"Why not?" Carla giggled, sitting back down on her chair and going back to her bacon roll. Peter looked at it and the one that she had set out on a plate for him and then asked,

"Where did they come from? Did you go out?" He asked, sitting down carefully as he spoke. Carla watched him sympathetically wondering how much pain he was still in from the crash and wondering how long it would take for it to go away properly. "Carla did you go out and get these?" Peter asked again.

"No…" Carla said shaking her head and looking down at her food. "Michelle brought em for us."

"Michelle?" Peter asked,

"Yep." Carla nodded,

"Ahhh that's nice of her…" Peter begun, "But I wish you'd go out n get some fresh air."

"Balcony." Carla said, nodding towards it smugly.

"Carla you know what I mean... you've hardly been out since we got back."

"Well that's where your wrong Barlow, because I went out this morning whilst you were still in bed actually."

"Really?" Peter asked his tone laced with suspicion.

"Yes really, I went to Roy's…" Carla said, chewing on some bacon.

"Oh yeah? n how did it go?" Peter asked, Carla sighed at him and shook her head.

"Awful... I could tell that everyone was looking at me and thinking that I'm a complete bitch for ending it with Nick." She said.

"I don't think that's what they were thinking darlin." Peter said guiltily.

"Well... What ever they are thinking... It doesn't matter. I don't need em... I don't need any of em." Carla said firmly, trying her hardest to show Peter that she really didn't care about what the people around her were saying.

"Yes you do... You do need em Carla." Peter sighed.

"Look... I just think we all just need some time to get used to things that's all... anyways, I can't go out too much can I? You're not up to going out yet and like I told you, I am not letting you out of my sight." Carla said.

"And who said I'm not up to going out yet?" Peter asked with his head on one side.

Carla ignored his question as she picked up the plate she had put his bacon roll on and handed it to him.

"Eat."

"Nah…" Peter said, "I still don't ave much of an appetite at the moment."

"See you're turning down bacon…" Carla said, shaking her head at Peter, with a grin. "That is how I know you're not well enough to go out yet." Peter chuckled at her as she bit back into her own roll.

Peter smiled affectionately at Carla as she ate.

After everything that had happened to him recently, a simple thing like watching Carla eat was suddenly a real privilege to Peter, Her being sat opposite him wearing next to nothing was a sight he'd never thought he'd see again but it also reminded him that it was a sight that he wasn't going to be able to see forever.

Soon it would be time for him to leave..

He knew it would upset her… No it would devastate her.

He knew it wouldn't be easy in fact it would probably be the hardest thing he ever had to do but he also knew that it was something that sooner or later had to happen.

He had to go... He had to go for Carla's sake.


	4. Why?

Eight pm.

Michelle Connor was pacing back and forth outside the pub wondering what to do next about her very best friend.

She had been kicked out of her flat in the morning and had spent the rest of the day, racking her brains, trying to figure out what to do next.

Carla's behaviour was said to be "natural."

It was said that when one goes through such a sudden shock that they tend not to think rationally and Carla was definitely not thinking rationally.

In this situation, Carla only saw what she wanted to see and Michelle wondered just how long it would take for her to gain some sense of reality on the situation.

Carla thought that everyone was just against her and Peter, that they hated him and didn't want them to be together but that wasn't it at all and Michelle had been trying to think of some ways that she could make Carla see why they were so worried.

She was about to head back inside and ask her husband Steve when she saw Ken Barlow come out of his house.

He saw an anguished Michelle and walked straight towards her.

"Hello Michelle.. How are you?" He asked, knowing how she had been spending her days trying to get through to Carla and how difficult it had been for her.

"Me?" Michelle exclaimed, "I'm… okay but more importantly how are you?" She asked, biting her bottom lip after she spoke.

"Well I've been better…" Ken sighed as Nick crossed the road. Ken gave Nick a sympathetic look as he approached them and asked, "So any luck with Carla?" Nick shook his head and then looked at Michelle.

"Well?" Nick asked, looking at her with so much hope that she almost couldn't bare to say,

"No."

Nick and Ken both looked disheartened as Michelle then went on to explain all about her visit to Carla's and how it went.

They listened to Michelle as she spoke and after she had finished Nick shook his head frustratedly.

"We ave to do something… We can't let this go on."

"I know… But what?" Michelle said shrugging, "Nick I went around there and you were right… She's not having any of it."

"Michelle…It's been a week, You said on the first day to give her time… But she's had time and she still hasn't changed her mind… I don't think she ever will." Nick said wretchedly, thinking about Carla and how much he had missed being by her side over the past week.

He really didn't want to have give up on her, he had never done it before and it almost killed him to think this way but he really didn't know what to do for the best.

"What if I speak to her?" Ken suggested but Michelle and Nick both shook their heads this time.

"No way Ken, you've been through more than enough over the past week or so… The last thing you need is Carla's crazy behaviour getting to ya as well." Michelle said, Nick winced at her words and said,

"Don't call her crazy Michelle…"

"Uh…" Michelle began but then her face softened, "Look I'm sorry Nick but I don't know what else to say to describe her mind right now…"

"Just... don't call her crazy." Nick said.

There was then a silence.

A deafening one.

One where three very concerned people stood on the pavement anxiously and desperately tried to think of a way to get through to their friend, girlfriend and daughter in law.

* * *

A little later on and Carla was lying on her bed flicking through a magazine when Peter came into the bedroom. He was still in his jeans and T-Shirt and as he sat down next to her, He watched Carla smile at him lovingly and took a guilty swallow.

"Carla…" He began, but she didn't let him finish. She just turned her magazine around and said,

"Eh what d'ya think of these boots?" She said, stabbing a finger at a pair of expensive suede boots which were pictured. Peter shrugged as he moved closer to her and said,

"I dunno… They're boots…"

"Hmmm helpful as ever." Carla grinned, turning the magazine back towards herself and looking down at it. "I like em… I might treat me self."

"So does that mean that you're gonna go n buy em… from the shop?" Peter said hopefully, thinking that it would be good for Carla to get out of the flat.

"Or I could order them online?" She grinned but not as confidently as she had done before, she knew that Peter was going to start trying to convince her to go out again… Or to try convince her of something else, something she had been trying her absolute hardest to forget.

"Carla…" He sighed, gently taking the magazine off her and putting it to one side.

"Look I don't know what your beef is ere Peter… If we keep this up we could ave such a cushy lifestyle… Online shopping is a god send, you can get anything on there these days and Michelle could bring us anything else that we wanted… I'd do everything… You wouldn't ave to lift a finger… I'd do the cleaning… cooking…"

"Cooking?" Peter half grinned with a shake of his head. Carla giggled at his reaction to her saying that she would do the cooking and then continued.

"We would never ave to leave this place again." She said, staring down at her hands as Peter gently reached out and stroked her cheek.

"And what kinda life is that eh?" He asked softly, turning Carla's face so she had to look at him.

"It wouldn't matter…" She said quietly. "Cause we'd be together." She had tears in her eyes as she spoke now.

She tried to swallow them back, she tried to think of a way to change the subject but it was too late because Peter said,

"Carla… I ave… something to say n you're not gonna like it… But…"

"What?" Carla replied, closing her eyes as she swallowed once more. She knew what he was going to say and she dreaded it.

"I have to go..." Peter said, looking at Carla and knowing that he was once again breaking her heart.

He didn't want to do this, he'd stay with Carla forever if he could but he knew his time with her had to end.

He knew that she had to move on.

"Go? Go where?" Carla frowned, as if she didn't get what he meant.

"You know where..." Peter sighed, shaking his head and closing his tear filled eyes.

"No... No you don't." Carla said, reaching out and taking hold of his white T-Shirt. Her eyelashes were spiked with tears as she shook her head and said, "Don't do this to me Peter."

"Carla we spoke about this after you got back ere from Portsmouth… I told you it would only be a while… I'm not meant to be ere...I ave to go..." Peter said, as Carla threw herself against his chest.

"No, no you don't…" She sobbed, "Stay ere... Stay with me... Don't go... Please." She begged, still clutching tightly onto his T-Shirt with a closed fist. Peter sniffed as a tear ran down his cheek and put his arms around Carla who was crying into his chest.

"Carla… You know I ave to do this…" He said softly, "I ave to move on… N so do you."

"Why? Why can't it just be like this forever? Me n you in ere… Together?" Carla asked, sitting up straight but still holding onto Peter for dear life.

"Because it can't… no matter what happens… eventually life… It has to go on." Said Peter.

He hated seeing Carla in this distressed state and he wiped her cheek as another tear dribbled down it slowly.

"N what am I supposed to do with out you eh?" Carla croaked, almost chocking on her tears as she spoke because after the week she'd had, Carla felt there really seemed to be no life left without Peter there.

"You'll be fine Carla… I promise… you're going to get through this just fine… You're going to sort things out with Nick and you're both going to be blissfully happy." Peter said, smiling sadly at Carla and moving up the bed so that he could half lay down on it.

As he moved he pulled Carla along with him and said,

"Come ere..."

"Stay… One more day Peter… Please stay?" Carla begged again but she knew that it was no use.

Peter was going to go and she was powerless to stop him. She cried some more as he put an arm around her and pulled her towards him so that she lay with her head rested on his chest.

"Shhhhh…" Peter began, stroking Carla's head and kissing it one last time. "I'll stay ere with you… I'll hold you until you fall asleep." He said thinking that at least that way, she wouldn't have to watch him disappear.

"And how d'ya expect me to fall asleep eh?" Carla asked, in between sobs.

"You will." Peter nodded, looking down at the exhausted woman he had in his arms.

"I love you Peter… I always ave and no matter what happens… a part of me always will." Carla said, as if she was finally admitting defeat… finally saying goodbye.

"I love you too…" Peter said, still stroking Carla tenderly on the head, knowing that soon enough he'd be able to get her off to sleep.

"Wait for me... Peter… Promise me." Carla said quietly, unable to fight the exhaustion that she had been overcome with for days. Peter sniffed softly and nodded as he said,

"Course I will… I promise."

It was the next morning when Michelle got that call.

The one she had been so hoping would come.

The one that shocked her right out of her sleep.

The one which just had Carla saying,

"Chelle… Please… I need you."

She rushed around to Carla's flat the moment that she hung up and let herself into the building as quickly as she could.

It was only when Michelle had gotten up the stairs that she took a moment to breathe.

She hoped this was it.

She prayed this was it.

She slowly and delicately let herself into Carla's flat, she closed the door behind her quietly and swallowed as she looked around the room that she was now in.

Carla was sat on the sofa in the dark. Her knees together, rested underneath her chin and with her arms wrapped around her legs.

She was still in the same all white outfit that Michelle had seen her in the morning before and her tired eyes were swollen from hours and hours of endless crying.

"Car..." Michelle said with a whisper.

Carla was staring straight ahead as Michelle joined her on the sofa. She didn't speak at first.

For the longest time she just stared, right ahead as if she was studying something that was directly in front of her.

Michelle felt utterly hopeless once again and contemplated going to get Nick but then Carla spoke,

"Peter's gone."

"He's… what?" Michelle asked, she had to hear it again, just to make sure she wasn't imagining it.

"He's gone Chelle. He said he had to leave... That he wasn't meant to be ere..." Carla said, shaking her head and frowning, as if she couldn't comprehend what was happening.

"He's right... It's not fair on you babe... He had to go eventually." Michelle said delicately, not sure what the best way of talking about this was.

"One more day ... I just wanted one more day with him..." Carla sobbed, with a tear running down her pale cheek. Michelle took in a deep breath and put an arm around her trembling best friend. "Why do they always do this Michelle? Why do they always ave to leave me? Why do they always die?" Carla cried, throwing herself into the arms of her oldest and dearest friend.

There it was.

There was the moment Michelle had been counting on happening for days now and as heartbreaking and painful as it was, she couldn't help but take a huge sigh of relief because Carla had finally let it sink in.

She'd finally said it out loud…

Peter was dead.


	5. How?

**Just wanted to say that I am majorly sorry about my lack of updates recently. I've been very ill and actually ended up in hospital. I'm much better now and will be getting my updates back in order.**

 **Also thanks to everyone who has reviewed this so far.**

* * *

Peter Barlow tragically died almost seven days ago.

Two days after the horrific accident that he had been in.

He was doing really well at first.

Smiling, joking around and acting as if nothing was wrong.

Carla had kept to her word and hadn't let him out of her sight once, apart from when visiting time finished and they had to leave of course but they were back the next day as soon as it started again.

Other than all the obvious injuries that were on the outside, it genuinely looked as if Peter was going to be absolutely fine.

He was even up and about at one point too. He could only walk to the toilet and back but all the signs were pointing to a complete recovery.

Then it came.

The pain.

The dizziness.

It all happened so quickly, it was really no wonder that Carla didn't have a proper grip on reality.

One minute Peter was sat chatting away, his hand in Carla's, when he started to feel very light headed.

He had guessed it was because he hadn't eaten much over the past few days and that was all.

He didn't think it was anything serious.

The next minute or so, Peter felt his head was hurting but again he didn't pay any mind to it.

He thought it was just a headache and that it would go away in time.

The pain didn't go away and shortly after wards, Peter lost consciousness.

It wasn't for very long, it was a few minutes if that.

But it was long enough to scare the life out of his loved ones.

He woke up to find a sobbing Carla and Simon clutching each other tightly and his Dad and Tracy were stood watching, just as concerned.

The Doctor who had been called into the room, explained that Peter would have to have some more tests and that it might be possible that he had some bleeding on the brain, which he did.

The tests confirmed it and the Doctor said that they were going to rush Peter into surgery as soon as possible so that they could try and fix it.

The Doctor also explained that with any brain surgery came risks and that they should all be prepared… Just in case.

 _"Just in case."_

Well it's one thing nodding along to the doctors advice and it's another actually taking it.

How on earth do you prepare your self for the death of a loved one?

Well the Barlow's all responded differently.

Ken was brave. He was petrified at the though of losing his son but said that Peter was in the best place and that the Doctors knew exactly what they were doing.

Tracy was scared. She said that she didn't want to lose her big brother and told him to fight his hardest to stay alive.

Simon cried. He said that his Dad couldn't die, that his Dad wasn't allowed to die, that he was sorry for the way he had been behaving recently and that he would change.

Carla...

Well Carla seemed to think that there was absolutely nothing to worry about. She said that Peter would be fine and that everyone was getting into a state for nothing.

Peter was prepped for surgery and taken down to the operating theatre within the next hour.

He hugged all his family and asked them all not to worry about and that he'd see them all soon.

Carla left a kiss on his cheek and nodded at his words, truly believing that he would be back in no time and that he would be fine.

He had to be fine.

This was Peter Barlow, a man who had been in hospital loads of times before and a man who had always come out shortly afterwards.

He was going to be okay.

He had to be.

Carla sat and told herself all of this as Peter was wheeled away in his hospital bed, he even gave them all a cheeky wink before going into the lift.

Peter wasn't fine.

He went down to surgery at five thirty pm and was pronounced dead at six twenty four pm.

The bleeding had become so severe in such a short amount of time and the doctors did everything that they could.

It was just not enough.

Ken, Tracy, Simon and Carla were all sat in the waiting area as they awaited news on Peter's surgery.

Time had really only just started to go on when Carla was finally starting to show how frightened she was about Peter.

Ken put an arm around her and told her not to worry but it was when Carla saw the surgeon that they were introduced to earlier, that she truly began to lose it.

She got up from her chair and shook her head in despair as he approached them.

She didn't know much about surgery but she knew that a Craniotomy, Which was the procedure that Peter was meant to be having, should take a hell of a lot longer than an hour.

Seeing Peter's neurosurgeon walk towards them so soon and with an apologetic expression on his face only meant one thing.

Carla doesn't actually remember what happened next.

If you were to ask her, she'd shake her head and say that she can't recall what happened from there on out.

Ken remembers though, so does Tracy and Simon.

As the Doctor uttered the words,

"I'm sorry... we did everything that we could." It was as if Carla's brain just stopped working and that her heart suddenly took her over.

Ken took a utterly distraught Simon into his arms whilst Tracy burst into a fit of tears but Carla remained rooted to the spot, almost in a complete blackout.

She didn't cry, scream, shout or do anything at first.

At first she just shook her head slowly.

She shook her head until the Doctor apologised once again and said that once the surgeons had cleared him up, they could see Peter if they wanted to.

It was a heart wrenching decision but they all agreed to see Peter together.

Even though she was in a state of complete shock, Carla nodded and when it was time she followed them all to see Peter for one last time.

Seeing Peter was what made Carla lose that tiny little smidgen of control that she'd had left on the situation.

She had barley made it into the room before she started howling inconsolably.

She hadn't even looked at him properly before she stated screaming,

"No! No! No!" over and over again.

She couldn't be stopped at first.

In the end, Ken and Tracy had to call a Doctor to see if they could calm Carla down.

Everyone was beginning to get a little worried but eventually Carla stopped shrieking.

It was Simon that did it, he went and put an arm around her and then she stopped. It was as if her voice just gave out and instead she just trembled in her step son's arms.

After they all said their goodbyes to Peter, The Barlow's were all lost as to what they should do next.

They hopelessly hung around the hospital for a bit.

Ken, Tracy and Simon were all as equally as distressed as Carla, they just showed it in different ways.

Simon didn't speak. He only said a few words when he absolutely had to and just stared into the space in front of him.

Tracy found herself bursting into tears uncontrollably at the most random times.

Ken, although he was utterly devastated, was once again the bravest.

He was the one who gathered everyone together. He was the one who drove to Peter's flat and he was the one who decided that they had to organise things.

He knew that there were processes that they had to go through in Portsmouth but also that they needed to go back home and sort out a funeral first, So after another night in Portsmouth they decided to go back to Manchester and sort out Peter's belongings another time.

Simon said that he wanted to take something with him, something of his Dad's to remember him by, he searched for a while and eventually he took Peter's favourite C.D's so that he could listen to his Dad's favourite songs, he also took an old T-Shirt as well.

Ken and Tracy both decided to take a few little things with them also and Simon watched as Carla stared at the walls in Peter's flat. She just shook her head and couldn't even bear to touch the items that surrounded her, so Simon decided that he'd choose something for her.

He was sure she'd regret not taking something and he didn't want that.

He scanned the room and then saw it.

He quickly picked up his Dad's leather jacket, which was over the side of the sofa and he decided to take it back to Weatherfield with them.

The journey back up north was silent.

Carla sat in the back seat, next to the window and also next to Simon.

Neither one of them spoke but when Carla heard Simon sniff hard, she reached out and took hold of his hand.

She gave it a little squeeze and they stayed sat that way until they returned back home.

Upon returning home, The Barlow's had gotten out of the car to find Michelle stood with Leanne. Simon ran towards his Mother and threw his arms around her.

"Oh... Si... I am so so sorry." Leanne cried as he sobbed into her arms. They embraced lovingly whilst Carla just stood still, shivering although it wasn't even cold.

She was almost in a daze as Michelle and Leanne gave their condolences to Ken and Tracy.

Carla was stood motionless in front of them but Simon suddenly let go of Leanne and handed Carla something.

"I… know you said that you didn't want something but I took this… for you." He said, holding his Dad's leather jacket out to Carla.

"Really?" She said, her throat dry so she had to cough once or twice after speaking. "I thought you took it for you... don't you want it?"

"No... I think you should ave it... I know you always loved it… I thought you'd want it." Simon said nervously. Carla nodded down at the leather jacket that was now between her fingers and as she stroked the soft leather, tears began to fall from her eyes once again. She then felt Simon's arms go around her as he said, "I think me Dad would ave wanted you to have it."

Carla nodded sadly and hated how much she had fallen apart over the past few days.

She hated that Simon was the one who was doing all the comforting and yet he was the one who had lost his Dad.

He should have been the one losing all control and even though he was clearly broken by the loss of his Father, he still seemed to have a sense of calmness about everything.

"Thank you Simon." Carla sobbed, as he held her close, he was crying now too and it was too much for Michelle and Leanne to bear as Tracy and Ken then started tearing up as well.

The pavement outside of Ken's house had now become a place of mourning.

After some more sympathetic words and sobs, Ken, Tracy, Leanne and Simon decided to go into Number one and get away from prying eyes. They invited Carla to come too but she said no.

Ken didn't like the sound of Carla's no, it worried him and he insisted that she come too but she just continued to shake her head and say that she'd be fine.

Ken wondered if she was maybe going to go and see Nick, so he left Carla too it and after one more hug he made sure that he said,

"Carla… you are always welcome here… anytime okay." Carla nodded at him as gratefully as she could and as he walked into his building, Michelle took Carla's hand gently.

"Carla… I'm…" She began but Carla just shook her head and said,

"I... don't want to talk about it... I just want to be alone… Chelle."

Michelle didn't want to leave Carla alone... at all but she also didn't want to force her way in, so she let her go up and into her flat alone.

Carla walked past various people from her building as she trudged up the stairs to her front door, they watched her as tears ran down her cheeks. They had heard what had happened and tried to offer up their sympathies but Carla just didn't hear them.

She just continued to walk towards her front door and when she was finally back inside the four walls of her building, she just threw her self onto the floor.

She had her head in her hands and her back up against her front door when she first saw Peter.

Or... when she thought she saw Peter again.

The sight of him standing in front of her, gave her the strength to stand up and wipe her eyes.

She was confused at first, wondering if this was maybe a bad dream or if she was starting to really and truly lose her mind but by the time Michelle had phoned that night, Carla was convinced that Peter was really there and in her flat with her.

"Carla… what can I say?" Michelle began, "I am so so sorry about Peter."

"It's fine Chelle… I'm with him right now… he's fine." Carla said, her tone was so convincing that it shocked and frightened Michelle both at the same time.

"Carla… what do you mean?"

"I mean he's sat ere… on my sofa."

"Carla… he's… dead." Michelle said, she was trying to be delicate about things but she soon found that being delicate with Carla did nothing.

"No… Michelle… I told you, he's sat right next to me." Carla insisted.

"No he's not Carla!" Michelle cried, attracting the attention of her husband Steve. "He's dead… you're in shock, you're obviously just seeing things."

"I'm not..." Carla said but Michelle was starting to panic now.

"Yes! Yes you are Carla! He died, he died in Portsmouth and he is not there with you!"

That was when Carla hung up.

She didn't want to hear anything else that Michelle had to say because as far as she was concerned, Peter Barlow was okay.

He was there, in her flat.

That was all that mattered...

* * *

Seven days later and Carla had finally taken in the fact that Peter was well and truly gone.

Michelle just sat and held her close. Her arms were around Carla protectively and she held on for dear life as she sobbed.

Michelle wasn't sure how long they were both sat there for.

She wasn't sure how long it took Carla to speak again but what Michelle did know was that when Carla did speak again, it was going to be incredibly hard to know what to say to her.

Michelle felt slightly useless, she didn't know how to comfort her.

How do you comfort someone who has lost the love of his or her life?

It was silent for a very long time and Michelle was beginning to wonder if Carla was asleep... but she wasn't.

"Do you believe in ghosts Chelle?" She eventually said. Breaking the long silence as she sat up straight and wiped her sore eyes.

Michelle shrugged nervously at her best friend and said,

"I… I dunno babe."

Carla nodded slowly and bit down on her bottom lip. She looked completely and utterly exhausted and like she was in desperate need of some sleep as she started to speak again.

"I was the same… I never believed… until I saw him."

"Are you sure he was a ghost Car…? I mean… you could ave just been imagining him." Michelle said awkwardly, not wanting to make Carla feel like she was judging her.

"He wasn't just in me head Chelle… he couldn't ave been… he was here… I felt him Chelle... It was like I could actually feel him touching me. I could feel his kisses, his breath on my skin... he was here Chelle... I know it." Carla said with a sad sniff, before laying back with her head rested on her best friends shoulder.

Michelle let out an exasperated breath, still not knowing what else to say to Carla right now.

She felt like such a terrible friend.

She felt utterly useless as Carla sat before her.

Michelle didn't realise that she wasn't useless at all, in fact she was almost the opposite.

Her presence was enough.

It was enough for Carla to feel slightly at ease.

"Carla… I'm finding it hard to know what to say to you... You were so great when Dean died and I'm just... rubbish." Michelle eventually began, Carla looked back up at her with tears in her green eyes and shook her head.

"Chelle… you don't have to say anything… and you're not rubbish... just sit with me eh?" Carla said softly, Michelle nodded as Carla leaned against her and they sat alone together in silence.

They sat there until much to Michelle's relief, Carla had finally fallen asleep.

Michelle got up and slowly and as quietly as she could so that she didn't wake Carla up and ran straight over to her phone, which she had left on the kitchen counter.

She didn't hesitate to call Nick.

"Hi." Nick answered gruffly, sounding like he was tired himself.

"Hi…" Michelle breathed, "Nick it's... happened."

"What's happened?" Nick asked, sounding this time as if he was holding his breath, sounding as if he hope he knew what had finally happened but not wanting to take any chances.

"She knows… she knows that he's dead." Michelle whispered as Carla started to stir on the sofa. She didn't wake up though and Michelle took a sigh of relief because she wanted Carla to get as much sleep as possible.

"Really?" Nick asked, "How?... Michelle how did you make her see?"

"It wasn't me… she said Peter's left her… that he told her it was time to go." Michelle explained.

"Oh… wow." Nick said, not knowing what to say to this news.

"She thinks she saw his ghost." Michelle told Nick down the phone.

"His Ghost." Nick repeated,

"Yes… she seems pretty sure of it." said Michelle.

"Well… who are we to say she didn't." Nick said with a sigh. "I'm just glad that she's finally understood what's gone on ere… has she… mentioned me… at all?" He asked hopefully and feeling slightly selfish as well but he couldn't help it.

"No… no she hasn't." Michelle said, almost hearing how disappointed Nick sounded in the breath that he'd let out on the other end of the phone. "Look… she's only just realised that Peter died… she's still processing all of this."

"I know… I know." Nick insisted. "Thanks for calling me Michelle and letting me know, I really appreciate it."

"No problem…" Michelle nodded, then she paused. "She's fast asleep right now, which is good but when she wakes… I'm thinking of giving her the..."

"Don't" Nick interrupted, his tone harsh now. "It's too soon..."

"Is it though?" Michelle asked, "Maybe it's the right time… maybe it's just what she needs to try and move on from this."

"Michelle we don't even know what it says… what if what's inside it upsets her?" Nick said worriedly.

"Nick… I really don't think there is anything bad in there… besides, she can't any more upset than she is now can she?" Michelle said, going into her handbag and pulling out a white envelope.

"I suppose not." Nick said with a sigh.

"I'll see how she goes when she wakes up… I wont give it to her unless I know she can handle it." Michelle said, knowing that Nick wouldn't totally agree with her but also knowing that he would be powerless to stop her.

"Fine." Nick said, although everything was far from fine.

In fact it looked as if things would never be fine again.

"Nick… as soon as she mentions you… I'll tell her you're desperate to be ere for her. Okay?" Michelle then added.

"Okay. Thank you Michelle… for everything." Nick said and then they hung up.

Michelle took a deep breath as she looked down at the envelope that was in her hand.

The envelope with a letter inside.

A letter, which was for Carla… from Peter.


End file.
